


Braving The Elements

by RescueWombat



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Genre: Bromance, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Self-Insert, canon has been taken out back and shot like old yeller
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:48:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24180838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RescueWombat/pseuds/RescueWombat
Summary: To be reborn is a miracle. To be be reborn into an anime about saving the world with card games? Still a miracle, but also fairly weird.
Kudos: 12





	Braving The Elements

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is a rewrite of a work of the same name that was once on my FFnet account. It has much of the same content, but I've added more to it and I actually plan on continuing this version.

Y’know all those things people say about your life flashing before your eyes when you die?

That’s horseshit.

When I died, all that flashed before my eyes was a lime green peterbilt 357 as it swerved around the crash that killed me.

Also, the thing about how you get reincarnated and remember being in the womb?

Double horseshit.

I remembered my previous life, oh brother did I remember my previous life. I remembered it right down to the feeling of the flatbed Chevy that sideswiped me as I was going across the street. Thinking about it still hurts god damn it!

My first thoughts, however, did not occur until I was being cut out of my mother like a tumor.

And then the air hit my skin and I started screaming like I’d gone and died again. I screamed, and bellowed, and hollered, and every other synonym for making a damn loud noise I could think of before they got my tender ass swaddled up and handed me to my new father.

Now, I was still a baby. Eyes were blurry, color was distorted, and everything was fuzzy, but when I looked at where my dad’s head should have been and saw a mess of pink hair, I just about freaked.

Now, dyed hair isn’t the weirdest thing in the world. Even in the rural town I had spent my last life in it wasn’t uncommon.

Then I got a look at the doctor, saw his hair was lemon fucking yellow, and came to the conclusion that I’d been reborn to a pair of hipsters in either Williamsburg or Greenwich Village.

Then they started speaking what had to be Japanese and I realized I had been reincarnated into a fucking anime.

They wound up having to replace the blanket I had been wrapped up in when I literally shit a brick in surprise.

It took me all of three years to figure out what anime I was in, unfortunately.

We lived in Kansai, apparently, and just like the first time around I spent most of my time asleep. Can you blame me? I was a toddler.

I was three years old when they sat me in front of the TV while dad got around for work and mom cooked up breakfast. They’d plopped me between two propped up pillows and left me there with some channel running and I had been spaced out when my ears registered the words “Duel Monsters” coming from the TV.

“WHAT!? DUEL MONSTERS? REALLY!?” I yelled at the top of my lungs, absolutely stunned at the sight of Gem-Knight Master Diamond and El Shaddoll Construct squaring off on the screen.

My folks took it as me having enthusiasm for the game, and honestly it was. To see the monsters brought to life on the field, both players hamming it up as they played, it was glorious.

Over the years I took to the game as I had last time, and somehow beyond all belief was an honors student in this life when I’d been a slackoff last time.

When my folks approached me about picking a high school after junior high, I had jokingly asked if there were any schools for dueling I could attend.

My father’s response was not funny.

“Well, y’know I work for Kaiba Corporation, so maybe we could afford tuition for that Duel Academy that Mr. Kaiba started?” He said, only kinda joking.

To say I was a bit excited would be an understatement.

Arrangements were made, and come the start of March I, Yasuhiro Inoue, was in Domino City for my practical exam.

* * *

Contrary to what the anime would have you believe, the Duel Academy practical exam was not done with training decks and friendly instructors. That exam was all kinds of brutal, and that was just what I got watching it from afar.

“Yasuhiro Inoue, report to field B-1 for your practical exam.”

Well, that’s me. Time to go and hassle my way through whatever trouble the instructor throws my way.

When I arrived on the field, I had to doubletake. The instructor looked remarkably like someone I had known in life. All broad shoulders and barrel chest, it was the spitting image of one of my schoolmates from the last go round. He was dressed in one of those obelisk blue coats, which made sense seeing as the exam was being run by Crowler. 

“Hello, I’m Jesse Wade and I’ll be your instructor for today. Bring your best challenger!” He said in heavy accented Japanese. Foreigner then. Kinda odd, but it makes sense Duel Academy would take foreign students.

“Duel!” we yelled out in unison, our duel disks starting up as we drew our hands.

I grinned as I looked at mine. My folks really knew how to give a guy the edge.

“Alright, I’ll start!” I said as I drew for my first turn.

**[Instructor Wade: 4000 LP]**

**[Yasuhiro Inoue: 4000 LP]**

God I love traditional format.

“Now, I’ll summon Elementsaber Willard by discarding my Elementsaber Nalu and Elementsaber Aina!”

Before me appeared a tall blonde man in a high-collared suit of golden armor, a greatsword wrapped in lightning in his hands. 

_[Elementsaber Willard: LV 6/ATK 2400/DEF 2100]_

“And, thanks to his effect, Willard is unable to be destroyed by battle or card effects.” I was grinning smugly at this point, thinking myself invincible with Willard on the field.

Plus, with my Elemental Training facedown, I was bound to be pretty safe overall.

Then fate pulled the rug out from under me like the vindictive whore she is.

Instructor Wade drew his card for the turn and grinned, and I knew I was SOL.

“Alright, first I’ll activate my Kyoutou Waterfront field spell!” He said as the towering buildings and titular waterfronts of Kyoto rose up around us.

“And now I’ll tribute your Willard to summon Dogoran, the Mad Flame Kaiju!” 

_[Dogoran, the Mad Flame Kaiju: LV 8/ATK 3000/DEF 1200]_

Oh shittles.

Willard disappeared from the field in a gout of flame, and in his place on my field rose a towering Godzilla-like monster with ruddy red skin and gouts of flame sprouting from its toothy maw.

“And now my Waterfront gets a Kaiju Counter!” Jesse proclaimed as what looked like concerned civilians swarmed around our duel, smartphones out and recording us.

“Next, I’ll special summon from my hand Thunder King, the Lightningstrike Kaiju!” and Instructor Wade’s field was graced with a massive reptilian beast, three horned heads waving with anticipation as it and Dogoran eyed each other. 

_[Thunder King, the Lightningstrike Kaiju: LV 9/ATK 3300/DEF 2100]_

“Now, Thunder King will attack Dogoran!” And what ensued was not a battle. That was a murder, plain and simple.

**[Yasuhiro Inoue: 3700 LP]**

“Okay, now it’s my turn again!” I drew my card and sighed. 

I still had Phosphorage in my hand and not enough light attributes to summon him, and I’d just drawn Temple of the Elemental Lords, so I guess I had some plays.

“You aren’t the only one with a field spell! I activate my Temple of the Elemental Lords!”

The city around us shattered, and in its place a stone temple rose around us, monuments to each of the elemental lords along the walls.

“Now, I’ll use my Temple’s effect to add one Elementsaber monster from my deck to my hand! I’m not going to be able to attack this turn, but I think it’s a fair trade.” I said as I drew and revealed another copy of Willard from my deck.

“Next, Willard’s effect again! Thanks to my Temple, I can send the cards from my deck to the graveyard instead of discarding them, so I’ll send my Elementsaber Malo and Elementsaber Makani from my deck to the graveyard to special summon Elementsaber Willard once more!”

The spectral forms of Malo’o and Makani appeared behind Willard as his effect took hold once more and protected him from destruction by all means.

“Now I’ll use the effects of my Malo, Makani, Nalu, and Aina in the graveyard to change their attributes to light! And now I’ll special summon Phosphorage, the Elemental Lord!”

Again, Malo’s and Makani’s spiritual forms appeared alongside Willard’s, Nalu’s, and Mana’s before melding together to form a an armored humanoid with bonds of pure energy holding it together, a blue globe of energy placed in the center of its chest.

_[Phosphorage, the Elemental Lord: LV 8/ATK 2800/DEF 2200]_

“Now Phosphorage’s effect activates destroying all monsters you control!” I was genuinely smug now. Temple would be boosting my monsters by a whopping 1000 attack points as soon as I ended my turn, making Phosphorage and Willard nearly 4000 attack points strong each.

Instructor Wade drew his card for turn and looked at it like it had personally offended him.

“Alright, now I’ll tribute your Phosphorage to-”

“Hold up Instructor, I have a response! Elemental Training!” I said as my trap activated.

“I’ll tribute Phosphorage myself and special summon from my deck Elementsaber Molehu!”

Phosphorage crumbled apart, and in its place stood a blue-haired man clad in dark metal armor brandishing a scythe.

_[Elementsaber Molehu: LV 4/ATK 1900/DEF 0]_

“Grr, fine, I’ll tribute your Willard for my Kumongous, the Sticky String Kaiju, instead.” He growled out as his prime target vanished from the field.

Willard too disappeared as he was replaced by the oversized spider. Ugh, even in another life I have arachnophobia.

_[Kumongous, the Sticky String Kaiju: LV 7/ATK 2400/DEF 2500]_

“Now, with a Kaiju on your side of the field I’ll special summon Dogoran, the Mad Flame Kaiju!”

“Molehu’s effect! I’ll send another copy of him from my deck to the graveyard to turn your Dogoran to face down defense position.”

The dramatic appearance of the massive beast was cut short, literally, with Molehu swinging his scythe and turning the beast into nothing more than a face down card.

Spitting and cursing, the instructor passed the turn off to me, and I drew my card for the turn.

Oh _hell_ yes.

“Now, with six different Attributes in the graveyard, I’ll special summon my Elemental Grace Doriado!”

Between Kumongous and Molehu appeared an angelic woman garbed in pink robes that seemed to glow with holy light, accents of gold and white lacing her outfit.

_[Elemental Grace Doriado: LV 9/ATK 0/DEF 0]_

“And thanks to her effect, she gains 500 attack and defense points for each different attribute in the graveyards!”

_[Elemental Grace Doriado: LV 9/ATK 3000/DEF 3000]_

“And my Temple of the Elemental Lords increases her attack and defense by another 1200!”

_[Elemental Grace Doriado: LV 9/ATK 4200/DEF 4200]_

I was grinning like a fool at this point, all teeth and looking like the worlds biggest asshole.

“So, let’s take a look at the lineup, shall we?” I said as I gestured grandly to my field.

_[Elemental Grace Doriado: LV 9/ATK 4200/DEF 4200]_

_[Kumongous, the Sticky String Kaiju: LV 7/ATK 3600/DEF 3700]_

_[Elementsaber Molehu: LV 4/ATK 3100/DEF 1200]_

“Now, battle! Molehu attacks your face down Dogoran!”

Molehu dashed across the field and slashed the face down card, the hologram dissolving into motes of light with a dying roar.

“Now, Kumongous and Doriado attack you directly!”

**[Instructor Wade: 0 LP]**

**[Yasuhiro Inoue: 3700 LP]**

And just like that, it was over.

“That was a good duel Instructor Wade, your deck was really unexpected.” I said as I shook the man’s hand. So I still offered a handshake after the duel, so what? Bad habits are tough to break.

“See, here’s the thing...I’m not really an instructor.” He said sheepishly, scratching at his cheek as he gave a nervous chuckle.

“What, like a junior instructor? Got a trainer overseeing you or something?” I asked, genuinely confused.

“Not even that, I’m one of the students. Mr. Asahi is sleeping off a hangover in the break room right now, so I told him I’d borrow his deck and do his duels for him.” He said as he began to head towards the door with me. The exam was ending soon, so it made sense that he’d be helping the real instructors pack up to leave.

We parted ways at the exam desk, Jesse stopping to help them file away papers and pack up loaner duel disks.

As slick as the academy style disks were, I was pretty partial to my personal one. It was an older model compared to the ones the academies used, but it was really only a year or so old.

It wasn’t any kind of custom, or specialty model, just a KCDD-05 that I’d bought with my own money, and I was proud of it.

I found a seat near the top of the stands to watch the last matches of the day. From what I could see, there was someone playing Felgrand, someone with Gishki, someone _blocking my view of the goddamn matches_.

I looked up and met the smirking face of one Doctor Vellian Crowler, looking at me like I was his golden ticket.

“Can I help you ma’am?” I asked plainly, trying to play up the ‘moron from kansai’ stereotype.

His expression soured a bit, and I chuckled on the inside. Take that you elitist knob-jockey!

“That’s ‘sir’, actually. My name is Doctor Vellian Crowler, head of the Obelisk Blue dorm at the academy. I saw your duel with young Jesse. That was very impressive. How would you like to duel another examinee for me? Someone who came late, you see, and most of the other instructors are busy.” He said in that snide tone of voice, trying to butter me up to do his dirty work.

Y’know what, fuck it.

“Sure doc. What field do you want me at?” I said, standing up and stretching. I still had gas in the tank, I’d be fine to go for another duel.

“Follow me, young man. I have high hopes for you.” The spindly man said, and I followed him to a closed off arena where a...oh fuck me gently with a chainsaw, a young man with poofy brown hair and a dumb grin on his face.

“Mr. Yuki, was it? I’ve retrieved your opponent. Mr. Inoue here will be your opponent, as his entry into the academy is almost guaranteed!” Crowler half-yelled, his shrill voice grating on my ears at such close proximity.

“Well I don’t know about guaranteed, but I have a good chance. Plus I wanted to duel some more after seeing so many people giving it their all, y’know?” I said, engaging my duel disk for my second game of the day.

“Heck yeah! I saw some dude with like Godzilla dueling someone who had a giant angel lady and oh man it was so _cool!_ ” Jaden _fucking_ Yuki said, grinning like an idiot as he engaged his own duel disk.

“Yeah, that was my match.” I said, the field around us lighting up as we draw our hands.

“Seriously? I hope you’re ready to get your game on then bro, cause I’m not going down as easy as your instructor did!”

“Duel!” We said as one, and Jaden takes the initiative.

**[Jaden Yuki: 4000 LP]**

**[Yasuhiro Inoue: 4000 LP]**

“My draw! I’ll activate my Pot of Greed first, and draw two cards!” Jaden yelled, starting as strong as possible.

“Next, I’ll normal summon my Elemental HERO Solidman, and with Solidman’s effect I’ll special summon Elemental HERO Blazeman! With Blazeman’s effect I’ll add a Polymerization, and now things get fun!”

“Entertain me, kuriboh-head.” I said, a grin forming on my face.

“Now I’ll activate my Polymerization and fuse Elemental HERO Bladedge and Elemental HERO Sparkman for Elemental HERO Plasma Vice!” He said, the heroes disappearing into a vortex of energy as a gold-armored giant with blades protruding from his elbow took form.

“But that’s not all! Next, I’ll activate Miracle Fusion! I’ll banish my Bladedge and Sparkman from the graveyard to summon Elemental HERO Sunriser! With Sunriser’s effect, I get to add another Miracle Fusion from my deck to my hand!”

“This is getting just a _bit_ out of hand here.” I muttered to myself, sweat beginning to build at the back of my neck.

“Now I’ll activate my second Miracle Fusion and banish my Blazeman and Solidman for Elemental HERO Nova Master!” My opponent said, a wreath of fire blooming up to swallow the two heroes and unveil another flame-themed monster between the golden giant that was Plasma Vice and the crimson-armored form of Sunriser.

_[Elemental HERO Plasma Vice: LV 8/ATK 2600/DEF 2300]_

_[Elemental HERO Sunriser: LV 7/ATK 2500/DEF 1200]_

_[Elemental HERO Nova Master: LV 8/ATK 2600/DEF 2100]_

“Your move bro!” Jaden yelled across the field, and I nodded as I drew for my turn.

“You’ve put me up against some pretty tough odds, but beating the impossible is my specialty!” I yelled, slapping down my field spell.

“I activate Temple of the Elemental Lords! You wanna play with the elements? Then you’ll brave them like a true warrior! I activate Foolish Burial to send my Elementsaber Molehu to the graveyard, and now I’ll normal summon Elementsaber Malo! Normally for Malo’s effect I’d have to discard an Elementsaber monster, but instead I’ll send my Elementsaber Nalu to the graveyard from my deck to send Elementsaber Lapa Uila from my deck to the graveyard! Now with the effect of Elementsaber Willard from my hand, I’ll send Elementsaber Aina and Elementsaber Makani from my deck to the graveyard to special summon him from my hand!” In a flash, my Elementsabers disappeared from my deck to the grave, Malo and Willard standing tall on my field as the stone walls of the temple rose from the ground around us.

“W-whoa, you sacrificed all of your buds just like that…” Jaden said, eyes wide. Even his monsters looked a touch perturbed.

“You can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs, and you can’t summon an Elemental Lord without making a few sacrifices! Next, I’ll change the attributes of Nalu, Makani, Molehu, Lapa Uila, and Aina to Fire! Now, with five Fire monsters in my graveyard I summon Pyrorex, the Elemental Lord!” I said, only a little maniacal as a colossal pillar of flame exploded behind me and revealed the colossal prehistoric god of fire.

_[Elementsaber Willard: LV 6/ATK 2600/DEF 2300]_

_[Elementsaber Malo: LV 3/ATK 1900/DEF 400]_

_[Pyrorex, the Elemental Lord: LV 8/ATK 3000/DEF 2400]_

“Now, Pyrorex’s effect activates! He destroys one of your monsters, and we both take damage equal to half of that monster’s attack! Pyrorex, show Nova Master what _real_ fire is like! Primordial Purge!” I yelled, a gout of primeval flame rocketing from Pyrorex’s maw to wipe Nova Master from existence.

**[Jaden Yuki: 2700 LP]**

**[Yasuhiro Inoue: 2700 LP]**

“Now Pyrorex, destroy his Plasma Vice!” I said, motioning for the death of the golden hero.

“Not happening, bud! Sunriser’s effect activates! Whenever there’s a battle involving a HERO, he can destroy one monster on the field! Say bye-bye to your Pyrorex!” Jaden retorted, the crimson hero on his field flying up and kicking directly through Pyrorex’s head.

“Damn! Willard, attack Sunriser!”

With one swing of his blade, the hero shattered, Jaden’s life points dropping by a mere hundred for my efforts.

**[Jaden Yuki: 2600 LP]**

“I pass the turn.” I hissed, upset at my own blunder.

“My turn! Sweet! First I’ll activate Plasma Vice’s effect! I’ll discard my Elemental HERO Shadow Mist, and destroy your Willard!” Jaden said, sending the dark hero to the grave as Plasma Vice rained lightning down on my strongest monster.

“And Shadow Mist’s effect activates! I get to add a HERO monster from my deck to my hand, and I’m choosing Elemental HERO Woodsman! Now, Polymerization again! I’ll fuse my Elemental HERO Woodsman and my Elemental HERO Ocean to summon the mighty Elemental HERO Terra Firma!”

_[Elemental HERO Terra Firma: LV 8/ATK 2500/DEF 2000]_

“Oh no…” I muttered.

“Your Malo might be all buffed up thanks to your Temple, but he won’t do much against Terra Firma! I’ll activate his effect, Terra Firma Gravity! By sacrificing my Plasma Vice, Terra Firma gains his buddies attack!”

_[Elemental HERO Terra Firma: LV 8/ATK 4100/DEF 2000]_

“Now Terra Firma, show that Malo who’s boss!” Jaden yelled, the white-suited hero crashing into Malo’s comparatively meager 2900 attack points.

**[Yasuhiro Inoue: 1500 LP]**

“I’m not out of it yet, Yuki! I can still make a comeback!” I yelled, feeling nothing but raw passion in my veins.

“Oh no you can’t! Not when I activate this! Mask Change! I send my Terra Firma to the graveyard and summon Masked HERO Dian!”

Terra Firma’s bulky form burned away to reveal an armored figure wielding a lance, a blue cape flowing behind them.

_[Masked HERO Dian: LV 8/ATK 2800/DEF 3000]_

“Dian, attack him directly!”

**[Jaden Yuki: 2600 LP]**

**[Yasuhiro Inoue: 0 LP]**

“Good game, man. I’m looking forward to seeing you at the academy.” I said, meeting my opponent at the halfway point of the field for a handshake that is turned into one of those bro hugs where you bump chests with the other dude.

“That was a wicked game, dude! I gotta get your number, man, we can trade stories and tips and stuff!”

“Yeah, sure man.” I said, punching my number into my new friends flip phone before heading for the door.

“Thanks for giving me the opportunity to have that duel, doc. He may have shown up last but that kid was definitely not the least of us, wouldn’t you say so?” I said, stopping beside the stunned doctor.

“Hmm? Why yes, of course, I do have a rather remarkable eye for talent. That’s why I chose you as his opponent, to draw out his natural energy that we would be unable to see against any ordinary instructor or even someone like myself!”

“Makes sense to me. Have yourself a good one doc, I’m looking forward to learning under you.” I said, wiping the bullshit off my lips as soon as I’m out of sight.

  
  


A week later, there was a knock at our door at eight in the morning. Still half-asleep and more than a little agitated by the polite but insistent knocking, I opened the door prepared to rail out whoever was on the other side.

I did not, however, expect the person on the other side to be _Mokuba Kaiba_.

“Daaaaaad, one of your bosses is here!” I called over my shoulder, more than a little scared that the _vice-president of Kaiba Corp was on my doorstep_.

“May I come in?” Mokuba said, smiling politely.

“Y-yeah, you want coffee? Or tea? Or, I’m sorry, why are you here?” I asked, well and truly boggled by his presence.

“Because I called him.” My father said, stepping out of the kitchen with a cup of coffee in his hand.

“I came here to discuss your deck, Yasuhiro. Let’s all sit down and I’ll explain, okay?” Mokuba said, gesturing to the kitchen table.

Dumbstruck, I nodded, and walked back over to my place at the table and went back to my cooling coffee.

Once we were all settled, Mokuba began to speak again.

“One of my responsibilities as vice-president of Kaiba Corporation is overseeing the development of collaborative projects with Industrial Illusions, and your deck is one of those projects. It was based on research done by Pegasus and a team of our scientists on some newly found ruins in Greece, and it was planned to be released with two other decks based on similar research done in South America and Africa. At least, until the prototypes for the other two were stolen. So what you have now is a prototype deck, the only one of its kind, and after reviewing your duels at the Duel Academy entrance exam, I can firmly say I made the right decision entrusting it to your father.” The young man said, his smile serene as he looked at me.

“S-so you don’t want it back? I can keep my deck?” I asked, nervously brushing a lock of pink hair behind my ear.

“Yep. As far as I care, it’s yours. Maybe someday we’ll recover the other two, but I doubt it, so it’s yours.” He said, standing up and adjusting his crisp white suit jacket.

“Yosuke, I’ll see you in the office on Monday.” He said as he walked off.

“See you then, Mokuba.” My father said, taking a sip of coffee as he watched his boss leave.

“What the _fuck_.”

“Language.”

* * *

The day after that bizarre encounter, I received a package embossed with the Duel Academy insignia. Inside was a student handbook and an envelope, and that was when I had to take a deep breath and not let the anxiety that was building inside get the best of me.

I popped the wax seal on the envelope and slid out the letter, which read a bit like this.

_“Dear Yasuhiro,_

_Congratulations! You have been accepted to Duel Academy! Your skill on the practical and written exams, as well as your willingness to assist Doctor Crowler, have merited you a place in the Obelisk Blue dormitory, and your blazer will be given to you with any requested modifications you submit on our webpage when you arrive. Transport to Duel Academy from the Port of Tokyo on Tuesday, March 28th at noon and classes will begin on Monday, April 3rd. Other information can be found in the student handbook enclosed with this message._

_With regards, Chancellor Mark Sheppard.”_

I felt my eyes bug out as I reread the short letter. I’d have to see how Jaden placed now, definitely.

At the time though, priority number one was blazer alterations. Logging into the webpage, I went to work detailing my school jacket and getting it to fit my style.

It was of course blue with a white trim, cut to stop at the end of my back. I’d foregone the clasps and buttons meant to hold it shut, and had the sleeves trimmed to stop at my elbows.

With that done, all I had to do was wait.

And waiting was the hardest part.


End file.
